Financing Higher Education Pathways for Students with a Refugee Background
4.1 No One-Size-Fits-All Financing
Financing design must be tailored to the realistic context of each education pathway initiative. The goal is not to replicate a template of specific instruments, but to design a coherent overall arrangement that is predictable for students, accountable to stakeholders, and enables the education pathway to be sustained over an extended period.
4.2 Multi-Stakeholder Roles and Shared Responsibility
Financing should be seen as a shared responsibility across multiple stakeholders in the education pathway. Those who provide financing are not simply donors and those who coordinated are not simply managers. This means that roles for the mix of financing and managing should be integrated, sequenced and distributed based on the context, but that everyone involved understands their essential contribution to achieving successful pathway outcomes.
A non-prescriptive example of a possible configuration is:
• Academic institutions providing tuition waivers, accommodation, and academic services including supports
• NGOs or pathway providers coordinate recruitment support and community, as well as maintain financing contacts and identify potential new donors
• Donors and foundations fund living and costs, and offer in-kind training
• Governments enable co-financing, provide student or health entitlements, and underwrite funding guarantees or bridging supports
• Employers offer paid internships, skills training, and transition-to-employment support
What matters is not just who pays, but also the coordination mechanisms that ensure clarity of responsibilities, provide accountability, make contributions predictable, and sustain the pathway. This means that coordination requires good communication and information dissemination.
4.3 Coordination as a Core Financing Function
Coordination is a core function of financing, not an administrative add-on or overhead.
Effective coordination ensures that:
• Funding timelines are aligned with practical realities such as academic cycles or employment transitions
• Cash and in-kind contributions function as an integrated whole
• Accountability is transparent without overburdening the delivery of the pathway
• Students receive clear and consistent information about their financial situation
• Stakeholders feel involved and invested in the success of the pathway outcomes
Coordination can be led by an academic institution, an NGO, or a dedicated umbrella organization or forum arrangement.
• Integrated teamwork with regular communications and minuted meetings
• Training and mentoring of new participants to develop skills and awareness
• Documentation of responsibilities for stakeholders for clarity and accountability
4.4 Financing Configurations
Sustainable higher education pathways are best supported by mixed financing arrangements that combine cash and in-kind contributions from multiple stakeholders.
These may be strengthened through pooled resources, though coordination and alignment are more important than any specific structure.
Illustrative examples:
• Irish University:
The university provides tuition waivers and academic support, while philanthropic funding covers accommodation and stipends. Community groups contribute small, pooled funds for initial expenses, the government supports travel, and employers offer paid internships. Coordination is ensured through clear agreements between stakeholders.
• French University:
Tuition is waived by the university, with scholarships and additional funding from foundations, government contributions, and external partners. A multi-year public commitment strengthens sustainability and is supported by diverse funding sources.
• Belgian Institution:
Universities waive fees and, under a new policy, cover most student costs, including stipends. This integrates refugee students into standard funding systems, though reliance on government policy introduces risk.
• NGO-led Fund (Portugal)
A pooled fund – called HELP! Fund (Higher Education Life-Line Programmes) -is being developed as a complementary financing mechanism. It is designed to supplement—rather than replace—in-kind contributions (e.g., tuition waivers) and support from other donors, by mobilizing student-led contributions to support fellow students while improving predictability.